But when you love photographing nature, how on earth do you find the time?

That’s where the small patches of local woodland come into play.

The Value of Local Woodland

If I want to test a new camera, try out a lens, or run a roll of film through a new to me rangefinder camera, the answer lies less than fifteen minutes away. No sweeping vistas, no dramatic mountain ranges — just trees. And yet, these modest woodlands offer something surprisingly rich.

Each one has its own character.
Some are dense with firs, others are broadleaf and open. Some are old, established places with deep shade and tangled roots; others are new plantations, still finding their shape. Even within a single wood, every tree has its own personality — a different understory, a different quality of light, a different way of holding space.

Understory

Canon P Rangefinder, Canon 50mm F/1.4 LTM lens, Kentmere Pan 200 developed in ID-11 at 1+1

Anchored in the Woods

Nature is where I long to be. These small woodlands give me that fix — a place to decompress, to wander without purpose, to let the noise of everyday life fall away. I lose myself meandering through the trees, soaking up the atmosphere, breathing in the quiet. It’s remarkable how quickly the mind settles when the world narrows to the crunch of leaves underfoot and the way light filters through branches.

Woodland photography is a challenging endeavour. Trying to bring a sense of order to something so inherently chaotic is never easy. Branches cross at odd angles, shadows fall unpredictably, compositions collapse the moment you move a step to the left. But that’s part of the challenge, and part of the enjoyment. You’re not just photographing a scene — you’re negotiating with it.

Some pictures work. Others don’t.
And that’s fine.

Because the process itself is the reward. The act of slowing down, of looking closely, of trying to make sense of the tangle — it removes me from the stresses and strains of everyday life and anchors me firmly in the present. In those moments, I’m not thinking about deadlines, responsibilities, or the next task on my list. I’m simply there, in the woods, with my camera, responding to whatever the landscape offers.

Teepee, Local Woodland

Canon P Rangefinder, Canon 50mm F/1.4 LTM lens, Ilford HP5+ developed in ID-11 at 1+1

The Woods Are Never the Same Twice

The changing conditions here in the UK — the shifting seasons, the unpredictable weather — all bring their own challenges. Sometimes they offer beauty, sometimes harshness. We often think of woodland as ageless and static, but in truth it is forever changing. A place that seems familiar in spring becomes almost unrecognisable in winter. Light moves differently. The understory grows, dies back, and grows again.

Local Woodland Dry Plate

Unnamed quarter plate camera, Kodak Ektar 127mm F4.7 lens. J Lane Speed Plate.

When you revisit the same locations time and again, you start to notice these subtle differences. Every time I return to one of these patches of woodland, I see it in a different light. New compositions reveal themselves. A branch has fallen. A shaft of sunlight hits a trunk at a new angle. A path looks more inviting — or more mysterious — than it did the week before.

It’s like meeting an old friend — familiar, but different. The comfort of knowing the terrain blends with the excitement of discovering something new. The woods don’t judge your technique or your gear; they simply offer what they have, and you respond with whatever you’re carrying that day.

Roots

Canon P Rangefinder, Canon 50mm F/1.4 LTM lens, Ilford HP5+ developed in ID-11 at 1+1

And in that exchange — between changing woodland and changing photographer — something quietly meaningful happens. You’re reminded that creativity doesn’t require grand landscapes or perfect conditions. It just requires attention, patience, and a willingness to return.

That’s part of the magic.

Many thanks for joining me on this ramble through local woodland. These small patches of trees have become companions of sorts — places of calm, challenge, familiarity, and quiet change. They remind me that creativity doesn’t always require grand landscapes or long journeys; sometimes it’s found just fifteen minutes from home, waiting with open branches and shifting light.

Matt.

I have spent a little time lately watching some youtube videos and reading a few articles. Digital photography articles. It made me wonder if we had not left something behind in our headlong rush to digitise everything.

Now, I’m not a Luddite, or a film purist ( I own and regularly use several digital cameras). But I started to think long and hard about my photography and how I approach it. We are led to believe that all this technology makes us better photographers, more megapixels, better autofocus, increased dynamic range, better editing software. But does this really make for a better photographer? Did every gain leave something behind?

(Agfa Ansco 5x7 View Camera, Wollensak Verito 7 1/4” Lens, Fomapan 100 shot at 50. Developed in Rodinal at 1+50 for 8 minutes)

When shooting film, you have 36 chances, or 12 if your shooting medium format 6x6. Once you used to choose film, not because we didn’t want digital, but because digital didn’t exist. There was a ritual, you loaded your film methodically and carefully. Everything was intentional, spray and pray was yet to make an appearance. Every frame cost money, now every frame costs nothing.

Back then, everything was considered, slow, methodical. You check carefully every composition, if it didn’t feel right, you moved on. You carefully metered the scene, then metered it again. If the light wasn’t right, you waited.

Film taught you to stop and think before taking a shot, with digital, you take dozens of shots, thinking I can see what works and choose when editing.

(Leica M2, 7Artisans 35mm F/2 Lens, Ilford HP5+ developed in Ilford ID11 at 1+1)

We also seem to have lost patience. Now we see the picture on a screen on the back of the camera. We get home and download the pictures and start editing. Gone is the not knowing, the anticipation, the waiting, the ritual of developing, another study in patience.

We also lost the imperfection that comes with shooting film. Many pictures nowadays, especially those shared on social media are bitingly sharp, well exposed, and, to be honest, sterile. Same places, same vista, same golden light, massive wow factor….. and instantly forgettable. How many times have I said to myself when viewing them please show me something new. (This is why I add grain to many of my digital pictures, not to imitate film, or to hoodwink the viewer, but to add texture and reduce the sterile and clinical look).

(Leica Q2 Monochrom)

The ritual of shooting film is something which, for me, is priceless. When I am out with my film camera, I am fully present in the moment. All actions are deliberate, all pictures are considered, pondered over. Sometimes this process lasts a few seconds, very often it lasts a few minutes. Sometimes I just walk on. But I am there.

(Okuhara Half Plate Camera, Wollensak Verito 7 1/4” Soft Focus Lens, Fomapan 100. Develped in Rodinal 1+50 for 9 minutes @20’C)

Of the thousands of pictures I have taken with my Q2 Monochrom, very few have left a lasting impression of the time and place of their taking, but I can look at a negative and, more often than not, remember exactly where, when and how it felt when taking the picture.

Will I sell my digital camera then? Of course not. They are indeed magical things. What I will try to do though is to imitate shooting film, be more considered, slow down, take only the pictures I would if they were loaded with film, and be in the moment, not just a passive observer.

Many thanks indeed for reading through my little musing.

Matt.

This time, a beautigul looking 1938 Leica IIIa and 50mm F/2 Summar lens. The condition looked excellent, and it even had a reciept from 2025 for a CLA and slow shutter speed repair. The price was low as well, which, I guess prompted me to put in a bid.

Now, I don’t shoot 35mm film. I shoot full frame digital, medium format film and large format film. I find 35mm a faff, 36 exposures to use before develping, thin curly film and big fingers when loading and developing etc, etc.

But, what a beautiful thing this teeny little camera is. The weight and quality is unsurpassed for this vintage. Now, if I can just rustle up some film I can see if it is just an expensive ornament or a decent working camera……..

After hunting high and low (having another clearout while in the process) I found a roll of Fomapan 100 I had spooled many years ago when I had an old Zorki. I had no idea if it wouild still be good as it certainly had not been looked after ( found in a plastic box in my computer room, which gets pretty warm in summer).

So, off I trot (well, ride actually) to some local woodland near Slaitwaite, stopping in the village by the canal first. First impressions are good, the CLA obviously cleaned both the veiwfinder and rangefinder, as focus was achieved very easily. Shutter speeds sounded OK too.

Slaithwaite Church.

The Film seems to survived, and the camera seems to be working OK too. The lens, although very clean with no sign if haze or fungus, seems quite soft. Personally, I like the look very much and I guess you can’t expect a lens with no coatings to be very contrasty.

Slaithwaite Canal

Mill Chimney, Slaithwaite

Detritus

Trees, Local Woodland

Am I now a convert to 35mm film?

Maybe. I enjoy shooting film of any kind and this is certainly a fun camera to use. I can see me taking this and a handfull of HP5+ rolls on holiday certainly. It will not replace my Rolleiflex, or even my Zero Image pinhole camera. But, being so small it may very well find a place in my bag beside these.

Now, where is my Jupiter 12 lens, I know I still have it somewhere……………..

Many thanks for taking the time to read my musings, it is very much appreciated.

Matt.

John passed away many years ago, but my aunt, Edna, passed away a couple of years since. When my siblings and I were clearing out her house, sorting through a lifetimes worth of collecting, we came across what must have been John’s pride and joy, a Rolleiflex 3.5F. The camera was in beautiful, much loved condition, the light meter even worked accurately. The only issue was that the slow shutter speeds jammed. This was not surprising really as it had been in a cupboard for over 20 years.

On the advice of a good friend, I sent this off to a Rollei guru for a full CLA. Unfortunately, the gentleman in question then had some serious health issues and to cut a long story short, perhaps 14 months later the camera returned without any work being carried out. (I hope you are on the mend by the way).

Undaunted, I was determined to get the old girl back shooting film, so this time I sent it off to The Latent Image for repair. In less than a week it was returned fully functional and the lenses had even been cleaned. What excellent service and for a very reasonable sum indeed. (Many thanks indeed William).

So, in with some of Ilfords finest in the form of a roll of HP5+, and off I trot, first to some local woodland, and then to Hallifax.

As can be seen, the camera is now working flawlessly. It is a delight to use, focussing is a breeze, and I am very impressed with the results….

While using the camera, my thoughts go back to the few times we spent with my uncle John, a very gentle and extremely kind person, who would make time for everyone. It makes me wonder about the lost opportunity of spending more time with him had I discovered photography earlier. One thing I do know about John, he would be very happy indeed to know that his Rollei was having a new lease of life, out and about shooting film, not shut away in a cupboard.

Many thanks indeed for popping by and reading my ramblings.

Matt.

Now, unfortunately, I don’t seem to be able to avoid taking landscape pictures. It was so on this trip as well. Although the scenery around the Oban and Glencoe / Kinlochleven area is spectacular, mountains and sea lochs in abundance, once again I was drawn to the woods in the area. This may be because as a child I was born and resised on the island of St Marys, in the Isles of Scilly, and so therefore did not see a proper forested area, or even a decent woods until I was 8 or 9 years old……….

Below are a selection of pictures fron the trip, all made with a Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujifilm XF16-80mm F/4R OIS WR Lens. Although not film, they arn’t half bad to my eyes. Let me know what you think…….

Many thanks for popping by…………

Matt.

Then, out of nowhere, on Easter Sunday, I suffered a LCA Stroke. My right arm and leg were pretty much useless. Bugger. Now What?

A lot of hard work as it happens. Slow but steady recovery. Fortunately it was only the arm and leg that was affected. So, new plans. I figured that using the Bronica was out of the window for now, so I purchased a Walker 5x4 Pinhole camera, on the assumption that this would be easier to load, set up and use. The first picture from this was no great shakes, but proof I could indeed get out and about, albeit very slowly.

I still believe that this is the most important picture I have ever made. The way it lifted my spirits, encouraged me to push on, to know that I could still make pictures, I cannot over state the effect it had no me.

More work, more exercise and thankfully now, a full recovery has been made. No after effects at all. I am so fortunate.

Out with the Holga later in the year, a newly restored passion for both this little piece of plastic and my Zero Image 6x6 pinhole camera……………

And finally I was able to pick up what was for me, my dream lens, a 5½ inch Darlot Portrait Petzval lens from 1865……

So, to sum up, a very interesting year indeed. Lots of highs and plenty of lows, mixed in with a lot of uncertainty. Of course, there is a genuine lesson in all of this, as there usually is if you look hard enough. Get up, get out, burn some film, fill a couple of memory cards, enjoy yourself. Things can go very sideways in an instant, and usually without warning. I have been extremely fortunate and count my blessings. If you have a trip in mind, a project you have been wanting to start, or even just a new location to explore, do it now. Don’t take things too seriously and get out and have some fun!

Thanks again for your company.

Matt.

So, weather not too promising, short of time (both seem to be a kind of default setting in my world), where can I go locally to test the new focal length? Time to ask the Oracle (my Wife Christine). “Why don’t you go to Folly Dolly Falls?” Ahhhh once again……..

You see, although the falls are close, literally 20 minutes away, but I have not visited them for many years. Uninspiring comes to mind. The last time I visited I was completely underwhelmed but the experience. Not photogenic you see, dull, dark and scuffy. “Well, it’s only to test the focal length” I tell myself, why not.

Now, I’m not sure if it is because I have changed as a photographer in the intervening years, or if the falls had significantly increased in flow, or the preceding years floods had carried a lot of detritus away, but they somehow looked completely different, surprisingly interesting even.

Folly Dolly Falls II, Local Woodland (Pinhole) Walker (Titan) 4x5 Pinhole Camera, 110mm Cone, 32 minute exposure on Ilford HP5+, developed in Rodinal 1+50.

I was so impressed, that I returned to the top of the falls this weekend with my Bronica EC and a couple of lenses and spent a happy couple of hours just exploring some compositions.

Bronica EC, Zenzanon 100mm F/2.8 Lens, Ilford FP4+ Developed in Ilford ID-11 @ 1+1

Now, whether or not it was the location that had changed slightly or my photographic eye, I am not really 100% sure, but by using the principle of Occam’s Razor, I suspect it is I who has matured as a photographer rather than earth shattering change at the falls.

It just goes to show that, in my haste to write off a location I had always regarded as somewhat dull and uninspiring, I had inadvertently prevented myself from fully exploring what has turned out to be a beautiful little location right on my doorstep. Folly indeed.

Many thanks for reading this little musing, it is very much appreciated.

(I also do a very occasional video on Youtube for the masochist…….)

I diligently loaded it as per the youtube videos with some of Ilfords finest, and trotted of to play with this new medium format film camera. In the back of my mind I had the idea of the huge increase in resolution and sharpness and tonality this new magnificent mechanical wonder was going to bestow on me……..

Imagine the pure horror of developing the film to reveal that I had not gained anything of the sort. In fact, the pictures were all very soft, low contrast and pretty bland to my eyes to say the least. What had I done wrong? why were the cheap 35mm lenses I had become used to far superior than this medium format wonder? I was gutted.

OK, time to troll the internet to find out where I was failing, as after all, it must be me….

After much research, the idea that the lens might have internal haze or fungus came to light. I checked this and yes, there it was, a very hazy lens I had not previously noticed. A few Youtube videos later and I was prepared to clean the lens. Luckily for me, all of the haze was on the outside of the rear element and withing 10 minutes the glass was sparkling and I was feeling extremely chuffed with myself.

So. off I trot to burn a few more rolls of film with the new improved and fixed Yashica, and yes, this had done the trick and completely transformed the camera. I was as happy as a dog with two tails…..

It is only now, some 8 or 9 years later, after the Yashica has been moved on to another new film shooter, that I feel I may have made a mistake in “fixing”it. You see, now I no longer place my emphasis on sharpness, fidelity, tonal range. I have now learned that it is perfectly OK to edit film pictures, in fact they invariably need it to some extent to reveal the photographers vision. Now, I value atmosphere above most other aspects. I have spent years striving for what the Yashica gave me originally, that soft look, the halation in the highlights, reduced detail to suggest rather than reveal.

To sum up, if a clouded hazy lens comes my way again I will resist the temptation to fix it. I will endeavour to learn to embrace the results it delivers and how to work with it to produce the kind of pictures that appeal to me.

Thanks for reading this little musing.

Matt.

I, as I am sure many of you do, watch Youtube videos on photography from time to time. These are mainly digital landscape videos, as this is the way technology has advanced over the last 20 years or so. (I tend to shy away from tech reviews as these hold no interest for me).

It would seem that nowadays these videos are becoming more and more alike. People seem to get to a certain location, machine gun frames like it is going out of fashion, trying multiple compositions of the same scene, focus stacking, exposure blending, the decision on which picture will be processed takes place after the fact in the editing suite.

Now, I am not criticising this approach, not for one minute. This, after all, was me 8 years ago. Remember the age old adage when it comes to photography, there is no right or wrong, just like or dislike.

I came to photography later on in life, in my late 30’s around 2006, and being self taught, learned by using digital cameras, software and the like. (I have also been guilty in the past of taking part in the great megapixel hunt…..upgrade after upgrade).

I was very fortunate indeed that I started writing a few articles for OnLandscape magazine (excellent online magazine by the way), culminating in the great honour of being a part of a joint “First Light” exhibition with the great Joe Cornish, alongside Julian Calverley, Beata Moore, Harvey Lloyd-Thomas and Baxter Bradford in Joe’s gallery in 2017.

Although this was a great honour indeed, and I am very grateful, the whole experience left me completely cold. I did not enjoy the opening night interview in a room full of people experience, people coming up to discuss the various aspects of my pictures etc. I felt like a complete fraud. You see, as far as I was concerned, these pictures (chosen by the gallery manager) were simple, unchallenging, easy, even slightly lazy pictures. The only real effort made was getting out of bed and travelling to the locations. As described in the opening paragraphs, these pictures are the choice of many, many pictures all made at the same time, carefully chosen and edited at home. This whole experience really did almost ruin photography for me.

My saviour, so to speak, was to turn my back on everything I knew about digital photography. I bought a 35mm film camera. I now started the whole learning process over again, but this time there was a lot more to pick up, no digital wonder to make the perfect exposure for me, no highlight peaking, moving up through medium format culminating in large format with their different strengths and weaknesses.

The most important lessons learned during this whole, very rewarding and sometimes frustrating process, bring me finally back to the point of this musing, was that I learned patience. I learnt that I only had 36 pictures to shoot, ( now with large format, 1 sheet at a time), each one with a financial implication…… film costs money. I learnt to think carefully before taking a picture, choosing the one best composition I could find. I had no idea if the picture worked, was completely in focus or was exposed correctly until the film was developed and scanned. I learned to be totally in the moment, I remember the dance involved in taking these film pictures but when looking back at the vast amount of digital shots in my catalogue, they seem to somehow blur together.

(I think it is important to state at this point that I am not a Luddite or film snob, I still own and occasionally use a Fujifilm X-T3).

I also lost interest in ultimate sharpness and clarity and learned to shoot in black and white, avoiding the distractions of colour and concentrating on light and shadow, texture and form, but most importantly to me at least, atmosphere and ambiguity. Embracing the serendipity of shooting film.

I guess the whole point of what I am trying to express is that, for me at least, the race for higher resolution cameras, better lenses, more powerful editing software, took away the very experiences that brought me to the wonderful world of photography in the first place. I am now finally comfortable and at ease with what I do and how I do it, I now feel immune to criticism as it is no longer important, just background noise. This is who I am, this is what I do, and I no longer feel a fraud.

Now if you are the kind of photographer described in the begging of this musing, I would like to say good on you. The end results justify the means in most cases, and, after all, the whole point of photography is enjoyment and satisfaction isn’t it?

Just for me personally, the enjoyment gained from the way I actually photograph the landscape has now become more important than the end result.

Thanks very much to everyone who has stayed with this meandering muse until the end.

Matt.

Most of these have all been used with “great” lenses, Zeiss, Schneider Kreuznach, Rodenstock et al, most of them very sharp, fully coated, as close to perfection as can be created. All have come and, here’s the rub, gone.

Why, you may ask, have I used and then sold these wonders, and why is the only lens I will never part with a 160 year old, totally imperfect lens?

It’s all to do with character. Sure, a few of the wonders I have owned in the past have had a certain look to them, but for the most part, they have lacked that certain soul that I have spent many years trying to achieve. You see, I look for that wonderful sense of imperfection, the picture for me has nothing to do with sharpness, clarity, or even perfect composition. Why then, you may also rightly ask, do you shoot on large format film, surely the high resolution and great detail clarity available defeats the imperfection goal?

And, ordinarily you would be correct. But for me, I love the whole process, the ambiguity and serendipity that comes from the way I shoot my film. My love of photography comes from the very process involved in making pictures with large, heavy, awkward cameras and lenses. Finding the subject, framing it, deciding where I want the viewers attention drawn. That mental jigsaw and large format “dance” to put it all together, and if I’m very lucky, I may even get a half decent photograph at the end of it, but that is less important than the actual doing part.

This is where the choice of lens comes in. I am fortunate that I managed to acquire a Darlot Portrait Petzval lens from 1865 for a pretty reasonable sum (Less than the price of a top quality large format lens and certainly less than a modern digital lens). And this lens is pure magic. It is a 5½” F/4 lens, no coating on the lenses, sharp in the center, pathetic in the corners with that unmistakable Petzval swirl. It even struggles to fully cover 4x5.

As you can see, it vignettes in the corners, the swirl can be extreme, and it’s probably a bit of a one trick pony, but it’s my pony, and I adore it. I have finally started to achieve the type of pictures that I have had in my minds eye for many years and have so long tried to create.

Here’s to perfect imperfection………….

But here’s the thing, despite all the expensive and dare I say, very expensive cameras that sit temptingly on the shelves, the one I find I almost invariably enjoy using the most was by far the cheapest. And the most useless. And the most awkward to use. It also gives the most varying results.

Yes, as you already may have guessed, the so called “plastic fantastic” Holga 120N. It has so many shortcomings that initially I was tempted to just chuck it away (in the plastic recycling bin of course). But, and here’s the rub, the challenge of overcoming these shortcomings is, to me at least, one of the greatest virtues of using it.

The key for me was to add a 3D printed shutter release cable adapter and chuck it on a lightweight tripod. Add to this a screw on 6 or 10 stop filter, and hey presto, full exposure control in bulb mode. There is a perverse pleasure in taking possibly the worst camera ever made, and overcoming the inherent design flaws to try and extract the best possible pictures from it.

As you can see from the picture above, mine is now in a well used condition. The results I get from it now I have modified it I find are very pleasing, to my eyes at least. So, will I end up recycling it into the bin….lets just say that after much use I succumbed to it’s bigger brother, the Holgapan….suitably modified of course……

So, if you see a grinning idiot wandering around the woods with a lump of plastic on a tripod, don’t be afraid, just come over and say hi………..

Link to my Flickr for more pictures made on film…… https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjlandscapes/

I was out shooting in one of our local woodlands the other day, nothing unusual about that, except this time my wife accompanied me. I was diligently focusing under the darkcloth, loupe to the ground glass when I heard a commotion near where I was standing. Lo and behold, a Springer Spaniel hoved into the frame I was composing, bouncing merrily around in my foreground.

mThen came the sound of it’s embarrassed owner, apologising profusely to my wife. I tried to stay oblivious to the interloper as I was not really in the mood for the inevitable barrage of questions that would fly my way as soon as I emerged from under the darkcloth.

The owner of said Spaniel, a young lady by the sound of her voice, enquired excitedly to my wife if I had seen some form of exotic wildlife that had drawn me to this spot?

Now, I guess to the uninitiated, the sight of a big wooden camera, bellows extended with a large brass lens on one end, and a little fat bloke under a sheet the other, may have made quite the spectacle.

The sound of disappointment in the young ladies voice was hard to miss when my Wife explained that no, I had not spotted anything as exotic as a lesser spotted platypus here deep in the depths of Honley Woods.

No, my Wife patiently explained, “no, my husband takes portraits of trees”.

It was only when reliving the experience later that I thought to myself “Hmmm, tree portrait photographer”. Well, if I am going to be Pigeon-Holed, that’s not a bad way to be thought of, and yes, I do indeed seem to be happiest taking tree portraits.

But, the likes (engagement) per picture have always followed the same curve. If I post a woodland picture, one tree, many trees, especially with a little fog or mist, the engagement is high. If I post a beautiful sweeping landscape or seascape, the engagement is alway, without fail, much less.

Now, being a funny old soul, this got me thinking. Are there 10 or 20 times more people out there in the virtual world that prefer trees to landscapes? Or is it the fact that I have become pigeon holed as a woodland / tree photographer, and that’s what most regular viewers return to my photo stream expecting to view?

A very good friend of mine who is an expert printer and all round brilliant photographer was once told that to be more successful he needed to specialise in one specific main area. Is this really the case?

To be honest, it’s no a concern of mine, I have no intention of trying to become professional, and I’m certainly not bothered about chasing likes as the photography I do is my love and therapy, but I think it would be interesting to try and make a little sense of it……………

I have really enjoyed the journey thus far, with all it’s pitfalls and challenges and felt that it would continue until I was no longer able to get out and about. Little did I know that this would be Easter Sunday this year.

I awoke on this fateful Sunday morning to find that for some reason the whole right side of my body just did not seem to want to work. Strange thought I, and managed to pull myself out of bed and by leaning on the wall made my way to the bathroom mirror. Face is ok, speech is ok, best call 111.

As fate would have it, I had indeed suffered what I had feared, a stroke at the age of 57. Bugger I thought. After being released from hospital, I started to think about what I could replace my beloved landscape photography with?

I started diligently following the specialist’s advice, but also started pushing myself to try and walk properly again. It took 2 weeks of hard work, but I could now make decent upright progress and regained somewhat the use of my right arm. Anticipating not being able to handle my Speed Graphic 4x5, I had ordered a Harman Titan 4x5 pinhole camera from Mike Walker. This came in good time, and as I already had several dark slides loaded with trusty Ilford HP5+ and FP4+ black and white film, it was time to cadge a lift up to some local woodland.

I could bore you with tales of trying to set up and shoot, while one side of the body seems permanently paralytically drunk, trying to load the exposed film onto a spiral in a dark bag and processing the film, but suffice to say, I managed all this and the resulting image is here to see…..

I guess what I’m trying to say throughout this ramble, is this feels like the most important picture I can remember making. Nothing special, but I thought at one point I would no longer be able to enjoy the process and sense of achievement and satisfaction we get from this process.

So I guess the moral of the tale is, take nothing for granted, life really can change in an instant. Get out there, do the things you enjoy while there is time, try something new and enjoy every minute.

Next goal, keep improving as the Graflex Speedmaster 4x5 is sat in the corner calling me…….

Keep well,

Matt.